Space Shuttle Discovery

Historical eventApril 281991

Space Shuttle Discovery

Space Shuttle Discovery launches on STS-39, the first unclassified shuttle mission for the United States Department of Defense.

Everything on April 28Original source

In context

When
Sunday, April 28 199135 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
20th century · 1990s
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

At a glance

Dates: From 1991.

What happened

Space Shuttle Discovery is a retired American Space Shuttle orbiter. The spaceplane was one of the orbiters from NASA's Space Shuttle program and the third of five fully operational orbiters to be built. Its first mission, STS-41-D, flew from August 30 to September 5, 1984. Over 27 years of service it launched and landed 39 times, aggregating more spaceflights than any other spacecraft as of December 2024. The Space Shuttle launch vehicle had three main components: the Space Shuttle orbiter,

April 28 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1986Chernobyl disaster
  2. 1988Aloha Airlines Flight 243
  3. 1988Maui
  4. 1991Space Shuttle Discovery
  5. 1994Central Intelligence Agency
  6. 1996Spree killer
  7. 1996Whitewater controversy
  8. 1996Port Arthur massacre
  9. 1999Taber, Alberta
  10. 2004CBS News
  11. 2008Trump International Hotel and Tower (Chicago)

Also in 1991

  • September 9TajikistanTajikistan declares independence from the Soviet Union.
  • September 11Continental Express Flight 2574Continental Express Flight 2574 crashes in Colorado County, Texas, near Eagle Lake, killing 11 passengers and three crew.
  • March 14EscondidaEscondida, one of the most productive copper mines in the world, was officially inaugurated.
  • September 12Space Shuttle DiscoveryNASA launches Space Shuttle Discovery on STS-48 to deploy the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite.
  • September 17EstoniaEstonia, North Korea, South Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, the Marshall Islands and Micronesia join the United Nations.
  • September 17LinuxThe first version of the Linux kernel (0.01) is released to the Internet.
  • September 5Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989The current international treaty defending indigenous peoples, Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989, comes into force.
  • October 201991 Uttarkashi earthquakeAn earthquake struck the Indian state of Uttarakhand, killing at least 768 people and destroying thousands of homes.

Everything we record for 1991 →

Sources

Cite this page

“Space Shuttle Discovery”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/space-shuttle-discovery-1991-april-28, accessed October 25, 2026.

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Questions about this entry

When did Space Shuttle Discovery happen?

April 28 1991 — 35 years ago, on a Sunday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.

How do I cite this page?

Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.

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